Nigeria’s forthcoming 2025 Licensing Round is already drawing early interest from global oil players, following renewed confidence in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s drive for transparency and regulatory clarity.
This came as the French oil major TotalEnergies lauded the NUPRC for delivering what it described as a transparent and credible 2024 mini-bid round, signalling strong interest in the upcoming 2025 Licensing Round, set to open on December 1, 2025.
The commendation came during a courtesy visit by a high-level delegation of the energy giant, led by the President, TotalEnergies Exploration & Production, Nicolas Terraz, to the NUPRC Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe. The meeting was held on Monday at the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja.
Terraz was accompanied by the Managing Director/Chief Executive of TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Mathieu Bouyer, and other senior executives.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the commission’s Head of Media and Strategic Communication, Eniola Akinkuotu, said the visit underscored the company’s growing confidence in Nigeria’s upstream regulatory environment.
Komolafe reiterated the Commission’s commitment to providing a predictable and investment-friendly regulatory framework, stressing that the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 had ended the era of uncertainty that previously slowed investor enthusiasm.
“Now, in Nigeria, we have a regulator that steps in to address the issues as an enabler,” he said, highlighting reforms targeted at operational clarity and investor protection.
The CCE also praised TotalEnergies for the implementation of projects under its Obagi Host Communities Development Trust, describing it as a practical demonstration of the company’s alignment with the host community provisions of the PIA.
Komolafe encouraged the multinational to participate actively in the 2025 Licensing Round, which he said had been designed to attract high-value investments, new entrants and renewed exploration activities across both mature and frontier basins.
In his remarks, Terraz applauded the Commission for the transparency and credibility that characterised the 2024 mini-bid round, saying the outcome had reinforced investor trust in Nigeria’s upstream regulatory system.
He expressed confidence that the company would benefit from the strengthened governance framework being deployed for the 2025 bid exercise. “Drawing from the 2024 bid round, the 2025 edition would be positive,” he said, noting that TotalEnergies was “optimistic about the new bid round.”
Terraz reaffirmed TotalEnergies’ long-term commitment to Nigeria, describing the country as a strategic hub in the firm’s global operations.
The 2025 Licensing Round will be Nigeria’s most extensive acreage offering since the enactment of the PIA in 2021. Building on the 2024 mini-bid round, which focused on deepwater and frontier blocks, the new exercise is expected to open up more mature, marginal, and frontier terrains for competitive bidding.
The NUPRC plans to deploy enhanced transparency tools, digital bid submissions, stricter timelines, and a clearer fiscal framework to attract global and indigenous investors. The commission has also emphasised faster contracting cycles, improved acreage management, and stronger host community frameworks to reduce disputes and investment delays.
The 2025 round will test Nigeria’s resolve to reclaim its position as Africa’s top exploration destination amid competition from Namibia, Angola, and emerging West African frontiers. TotalEnergies’ early show of interest signals renewed confidence among major international oil companies.
